The Foundation Directory Online (from The Foundation Center) provides the most current, accurate, and comprehensive information available on U.S. grantmakers and their grants. In Partnership with Business First Bank, LANO offers training and access to this essential nonprofit resource.

Dr. Cory Sparks leads LANO's training curricula and our efforts in the Greater New Orleans area to expand and strengthen service to hundreds of regional nonprofits.

Dr. Sparks brings years of executive leadership experience to this position, with demonstrated excellence as a public speaker, educator, fund raiser, and a community activist and organizer.

He holds degrees from Columbia University, Southern Methodist University and a Doctorate in American History from Louisiana State University. Dr. Sparks's board leadership includes a current position on the Board of Directors for the Asssociation of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), New Orleans Chapter.

Finding the right grant funding for your nonprofit can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Prospect research is a critical first step in fund development; so where do nonprofits go to begin their funding search?

The Foundation Directory Online (from The Foundation Center) provides the most current, accurate, and comprehensive information available on over 98,000 U.S. grantmakers and their grants, drawn from reliable sources, including IRS Form 990s, grantmaker web sites and annual reports, and the grantmakers themselves. The searchable database allows users to select key words to identify the grantmakers that are the best match with their organization and project.

Join Dr. Cory Sparks for this unique, in-depth training opportunity that will introduce and help you navigate the Foundation Directory Online system and bring you up to speed on how this resource fits into your overall fund development.

This statewide training series is delivered in partnership with LANO member Business First Bank, a community-building, FDIC-insured financial institution that provides LANO member nonprofits an exclusive package of banking benefits that includes three months' of FREE access to the Foundation Directory Online Basic Service.*

*Access codes for three month-long subscriptions to the Foundation Directory Online Basic Service will be granted to member organizations (501c3 nonprofits) upon opening a Nonprofit Business Checking account for their organization. The codes are available for use at any time by organization recipients and will not expire until used. Available codes are in limited supply.